Projects DRAG SNAKE "Vintage Terror!"

Good for her Randall.
Wonder what my welds looked like at that age.

 

They are pretty rough looking but she actually had really good heat penetration. It is funny because she wanted to help so I told her just "fill in" between the tack welds on the chassis. She went a step further there and welded that roll cage leg to the "Z" in the chassis. There was at least .5 to .75 inch gap between them. She filled it alright...lol!

Sent from my SM-G930V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

now i feel like a real asshole - i would leave 'em

 

You are...... even before he responded.....

 

I used a Toyota 4 cylinder pickup oil filter on my 5.0 Ford powered Morris Minor. It had the same 90 degree adapter, but still needed a really short filter.

 

I think that maybe some of my problems...I have eaten too many Snickers! LOL

 

Man! Speaking of eating wrong. Just hit a local breakfast buffet before hitting the shop this morning....look at this!



That is deep fried bacon. Holy cow. I did take a bite just to try it. Felt so guilty I went and got a plate of fruit...lol

Sent from my SM-G930V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Well we did attempt to get after again this weekend. We lubed up the cam and gentle slid her in place with the help of a 5" bolt screwed into the end etc.


After installing the drive pin and cam plate we installed the time chain and gear. Man it was a total pain in the back side getting the cam gear on but it finally it slid in place. Then out came the big blue wheel.


After reinstalling the piston stop we spun the wheel to see what we won. LOL After finding true top dead center we ran it .050 either side of max lift to check the center line. The cam card said 108 but the calculator said 105 and some. We checked three times and got the same number give or take a few places aft of the decimal. So we took it all back off and with our handy dandy 2 degree crank gear chose the 2 degrees retard slot versus 0 and put it back together.


Of course there was another fight with the top gear but it finally slid back in place. We installed the blue wheel again and retraced our steps and the calculator showed us a much nicer number...107.75. Close enough for the equipment I am using. While we were there we also double checked the duration. The cam card said 263 and the big blue wheel gave couple of numbers that when added with 180 made 262.75. That will do pig. LOL!

 

It did take a bit longer than it should have to get there as I couldn't get my dial indicator to stay still. Somehow the hole in the magnetic base where the main shaft screws in was stripped out. Anyway I had to fab up a new holder.

Then the ultimate kick in the pants. We installed the Howard roller lifters, the head gaskets and the heads. I opened up the ARP head bolt kit and started the messy but necessary task I hate the most, prepping the head bolts. I spent some time laying all the bolts and washers out. Then in sort of a mini assembly line I start first with the ARP Ultra Torque Assembly lube under the heads. Then I installed all the washers careful to get them all chamfered side up. Followed by a bit more of the lube on the washers. Finally ARP thread sealer on all the threads before we drop them in place. As I am about to spread the thread sealer around the second to last bolt I happen to notice something. Sitting right there on the work table next to a row of prepped head bolts is the piston stop tool (and two bolts that had held it in place).

It is suddenly very obvious my assembly line efforts has been a huge waste of time because the prepped bolts are no where near the size of the bolts in the piston stop bracket. The ARP Kit is correct according to AFR but the little 363 has been updated from the standard 302 - 7/16 Head bolts to the 351 - 1/2" bolts etc. SO GAMMZ what size head bolts are using on the new motor? I have a brand new set of ARP 7/16 bolts and they are already lubed up and ready to install...LOL!

 

Something tells me you're real popular at the local swap meets.

 

Now that is funny or sad...BUT TOTALLY TRUE! About two years ago just after finishing the Austin and then 3 month later totally going through the engine again I loaded up for an indoor swap meet. I had two tables stacked full of left over parts (many of them brand new because of this very same style of idiocy). It was a 3 day show but I basically sold out the first day and made almost $3500.00. Of course there was probably $15,000 worth of parts on the tables...LMAO! But we had a good steak and moved on!

 

I reaped some of the benefits from that swap meet! Those heads are working real good on my 57!

 

That's right, I forgot about that...good to hear.

 

So I got me some proper ARP Head Bolts coming today along with the cam bolt and washer. Something else we discovered we didn't have. Saturday I checked at the auto parts store (no go) and then very reluctantly called the Ford Dealership. I was surprised to find out that is a deleted item as far as Ford is concerned. Thanks goodness for ARP as they still make one. It is on the way as well. Just wondering what other tiny little toad will rear its head?

 

Back at the Boss 363 today. Got the heads on and tightened but not torqued. Then started installing the Jesel valve train. There must be a small difference in bolt pattern from AFR to Brodix as every other bolt hole on the seat rail is oblong and the bolt is off center.

View attachment 4046876

View attachment 4046883

Any way we got them in place and the proper torque applied.



Then we dropped the push rods in and started unwrapping the Jesel shaft rockers.



We tested the first couple of sets to make sure all was well when rotated then finished installing all of them etc.



Then we finished torquing the heads and played around with front cover and water pump. Headed off to get some lunch, Black RTV, and some longer bolts...


Sent from my SM-G930V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

So here are a few random thoughts about building this Ford. You all know this is not my forte but I am certainly giving it the old college try as they say. But today while attempting (and I use that term loosely) to install the front cover and water pump I can't help but shake my head and mutter to myself.


I would like to have been a fly on the wall when the design engineers were putting the finishing touches on this thing. I can only guess it went something like this:

"Okay sir we are finishing up the design here, we are down to the front cover and water pump."
"Excellent, good work."
"So sir I know you have the seen the Chevrolet, are you thinking something similar?"
"Absolutely not, this is a Ford, I am thinking something unreasonably complicated."
"Oh very good sir, that is my favorite kind of engineering, what do you have in mind?
"Well to start with lets make a large bulky front cover that bolts to the block and then the water pumps actually bolts to it."
"So that means we will have to create little water jackets extensions in it to get the water from the block to the pump and what about putting the mechanical fuel pump apparatus in there as well?"
"Perfect, that is exactly what I was thinking?"
"So just bolt the front cover to the block and then the water pump to the cover?"
"No, No that is too easy, I want some of the bolts to hold the cover to the block. Then some bolts that just attach the pump to the cover and finally others that go from the pump through the cover and into the block."
"Oh very nice sir, very complicated. How about several different sizes and lengths of bolts?"
"Yes...Sheer Genius!"
"I know, thank you sir. I am thinking to bolt the cover to the block lets use 2 one inch 5/16 bolts and 4 two and half inch long 3/8" bolts. Then to bolt the water pump to the front cover how about 3 two inch 5/16 and 1 three inch or so 5/16" bolts. And finally to attach the water pump through the front cover and into the block lets use 2 three and half inch 5/16 bolts and two 5 inch 5/16 bolts."
"Good God man they are going to make you Vice President."
"And how about this...on a new crate engine lets not include any of the needed bolts or instructions describing what sizes and lengths are needed?"
"That's gold kid...gold."


I am just saying it all seems a bit complicated...LMAO! But it is on....

 

oh...that's nothing. Think about the many variations in parts they used over the decades, with the hose on one side, then the other, maybe the oil dipstick should go in the front cover, maybe not, how about a special shorter water pump..and also that steel plate to separate the pump from the cover...

It's genius, indeed.

 

I know, at first when I was trying to figure out how the stupid thing actually fit I thought for few minutes that maybe that plate had to be removed...LOL. Nothing like 3 gaskets up front all trying to keep the water where it is supposed to be. Not to mention if any of them fail you pump water directly into the oil pan...LOL! Oh well that is what RTV is for!

 

But we did manage to get the oil pump and pick up installed as well...now ready to install the oil pan for good.

 

Yeh right!

 

Front cover mess is definitely a real thing. I'm into Mopars I have 2 different model first gen hemis, a big block and a small block all 4 completely different designs as far as how they effect other components. The big block is easiest to deal with though.

 

I can live with the Chevy distributor location in the back of the engine.

 

Yeah that might be but ford has 4 different ones for the same engine

 

Trying to remember how many timing covers we replaced at the dealership in the mid '60's due to erosion, cavitation, electrolysis or whatever the heck it was that ate these things up.

 

I was an on-site supplier rep to a Ford engineering department. Have had that conversation many times.

 

Iv'e only ever worked on ford engines so I don't know any better. Honestly it's never been a problem
changing a timing chain or water pump. The different length bolts can only go in one way, either there too long or too short, pretty simple. As far as leaking coolant there's only around 18 lbs pressure, so unless something is cracked or really warped they almost always seal up.

 

Windage tray? Built into pan?

 

Yep.



Sent from my SM-G930V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Almost always